Night of Knives cover art

Night of Knives

(Malazan Empire: 1)

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Night of Knives

By: Ian C Esslemont
Narrated by: John Banks
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About this listen

It gave the Empire its name, but the tiny island and city of Malaz is now a sleepy, seedy back-water port. However this night things are a little different. This night its residents are bustling about, barring doors and shuttering windows. Because this night a once-in-a-generation Shadow Moon is due and threatens the good citizens of Malaz with demon hounds and other, darker, beings....

And it was also prophesied that on this night the Emperor Kellanved, missing for all these years, will return. As factions within the greater Empire battle over the imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more alien and ancient presence for an all-out assault upon the island. Indeed the cataclysmic events that happen this night will determine the fate of the Malaz and of the entire world beyond.

©2016 Ian C Esslemont (P)2016 Random House AudioBooks Action & Adventure Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction
All stars
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A wonderful addition to the world of malazan. Can’t wait to read more! A fresh take on some characters we already know, albeit at a distance 10/10

Filling in the gaps

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The story was pretty enjoyable, very fast paced, and had a lot of action. I feel like the fast paced nature was a bit at the expense of fleshing out characters though, given that this is only a 10 hour book. The author also doesn't "introduce" characters in a traditional way (a proper back story and what not), rather, the listener generally comes to understand the characters through their dialogue (some characters do have back stories but they're purposely incomplete and leave you with more questions than answers). This normally is done to create a sense of mystery around the characters, but I felt like when this is combined with the fast pace, high number of characters, and complex nature of the world, it was confusing at times. I actually had to listen to it twice to really get a sense of what is going on (not a huge undertaking as it's only 10 hours and enjoyable). The orator was great too.

Entertaining and fast paced

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